posted Jul 25, 2008

I tend to base my opinions on provable fact. It seems the most logical way. You can base yours on sand if you wish.

How many RL games have I been to? I don't see the relevance of this as the number of games I've attended affects whether you can prove your claims of not. However, in reality I seriously don't know, I went to my first game in 72, and have followed the game since, so naturally I've not kept count.

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posted Jul 25, 2008

Fair enough Saddleback, I don't keep stats either. I was curious because you strike me as being a slightly detached follower of the sport, less emotionally engaged than a lot of people on here.

But it's funny you dismiss my opinions as being built on sand, whereas yours are based on provable fact.

In my professional capacity, I've advised 6 of the 14 licenced clubs (and commercially too, I've earned substantial fees in doing so). I've talked to Chief Execs, directors of rugby, players, players' agents and coaches and I've heard some interesting things in that time. Whilst I remained a fan, the experience has given me a harder-edged, less idealised view of the sport and, more to the point, of the people in it.

So when I say I don't believe the process was honestly and objectively applied, you're right, I don't have "evidence". But I do have an opinion based on more than sand and, I'd suggest, based on more than your bland acceptance of so-called provable facts.

Now I don't think that makes my opinion any more important than anyone else's, even yours. But I think it's worthy of a little more respect than you give it when you talk about "bleating" and dismiss me and others like me, just because we don't accept at face value what the RFL say.

And if you'd heard the RFL guys metaphorically squirming in their seats when being questioned on Radio Manchester last night, you might be a little less accepting. They didn't make much of a case, to put it mildly.

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posted Jul 25, 2008

Fair enough Saddleback, I don't keep stats either. I was curious because you strike me as being a slightly detached follower of the sport, less emotionally engaged than a lot of people on here.
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Maybe being involved in the sport for such a long time and seeing so many changes over the years I don't knee jerk to changes anymore.


But it's funny you dismiss my opinions as being built on sand, whereas yours are based on provable fact.
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Generally I tend to look for evidence before I believe allegations of corruption.


In my professional capacity, I've advised 6 of the 14 licenced clubs (and commercially too, I've earned substantial fees in doing so). I've talked to Chief Execs, directors of rugby, players, players' agents and coaches and I've heard some interesting things in that time. Whilst I remained a fan, the experience has given me a harder-edged, less idealised view of the sport and, more to the point, of the people in it.
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After you previously claimed to have followed the game for 40 years yet also stated you had intended to bring up your kids in the sport prior to Widnes' failure to secure a franchise I will take these claims with negligible weight.



When I say I don't believe the process was honestly and objectively applied, you're right, I don't have "evidence". But I do have an opinion based on more than sand...
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It's not based on evidence but on more than sand? Oh, your mythical career in the game of course...

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posted Jul 25, 2008

Saddleback - this conversation is becoming tired. You seem incapable of sustaining a sensible argument; no wonder your usual style is to chip away at single lines. Is it attention deficit disorder, I wonder?

I have no "mythical career in the game". I'm a professional adviser and a small number of my clients happen to have been in RL. At the same time, I've been watching Widnes (amongst other RL teams) since 1967. There now, was that so hard to understand?

You're well named - your world of "hard evidence" (ie what you're told) is as fictional as Borsetshire. Stay there please, for all our sakes.

I rest content that this dialogue might have spared other 606 users the full force of your irritating nonsense for a few days at least.

Until the next time Saddleback, but not for a little while ...

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posted Jul 25, 2008

Saddleback - this conversation is becoming tired. You seem incapable of sustaining a sensible argument
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It's not me coming on here making evidenceless accusations of the RFL being corrupt is it? Or claiming to have followed the game for 40 years yet intend to bring my children up with RL, or rather not because Widnes didn't get a franchise. What you using IVF or Viagra?


I have no "mythical career in the game". I'm a professional adviser and a small number of my clients happen to have been in RL.
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Of course you are Billy.

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posted Jul 28, 2008

It seems that there are a lot of bigotted people out there that do not want RL to expand and hopefully flourish outside the so-called M62 corridor. If it is the 'best game in the world', as one fan labelled it, why not demonstrate that away from it's traditional heartland? Since RU has become professional, I think RL needs all the help and promotion it can get. There was always going to be a loser in this awarding of franchises business, but expansion of the game is of paramount importance. Good luck to all, but I'm sure that I'll get slated by some insular bigots for my comments. By the way, I'm Welsh and would like to add that we beat NZ on the first of January 1908, so there is a little bit of history of Northern Union rugby in Wales, going back a year or two.

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posted Jul 29, 2008

Somebody in the know told me yesterday that Wakefield Trinity (Wildcats) had gone into Administration, has anybody else out there any further info or are the RL & SMUG FACED Richard Lewis & his five apostles keeping this under wraps?

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posted Jul 29, 2008

Or perhaps it's an evidenceless rumour?

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posted Jul 29, 2008

How can WTW be about to go into administration?

Surely this fact would have become readily apparent to the RL during the franchise process.

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posted Jul 29, 2008

Who says they are? Some anonymous people on a message board?

I'll wait to have it confirmed from more reliable sources before I believe it.

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